If you could meet one athlete..

dead or alive, who would it be? Obviously, he's/she's not dead when you meet him or her.

 

Gee, um, I don't know ...

 

Bruce Jenner!

 

Easy: Ali, the greatest sports figure of my lifetime

 

Probably Ted Williams. Or Connie Mack.

 

Dead: Jackie or Jesse or Cassius*

Alive: Barkley or Pop or Curry

* I’m more interested in his life before he converted to Islam. A fascinating period in his life full of big changes in him and society. I have a print of a photo of him meeting Malcom X on what looked like an NYC stoop.

 

As a HUGE “Showtime” fan in the 80s, I ‘d looooove to meet Kareem or Magic, but I think Ali still tops them.

 

Suzy Favor Hamilton.

 

None, really. I've met some players who made me glad to be at the corner of a big, busy snapshot of what was happening right then. I'm grateful for that. (Dammit, Jerred Smithson, you made event level and the empty bowl in Downtown Nashville get very dusty.)

Who fascinates me? Moe Berg. I'm a terrible interviewer because people interest me and I get started asking questions and don't know when to stop because it is never just about that pretty goal or what would prompt someone to come to Nashville. So Berg was this free-range intellectual who loved baseball as much as he loved his country, his faith, and linguistics. I'll settle for reading about him and sometimes seeing old footage.

 

I think the only one for me would be Kevin Love. His speaking out on mental health issues was probably a significant factor in someone important to me getting the help they needed.

Other than that, really no one. Not my thing. We've had some pretty cool celebs live in our studio and I haven't walked the 50 feet or so to meet them.